Dear The Reader
Too many people suffer from the same crazy disease. To my knowledge it doesn't have a technical name. So I'm gonna call it Modestaitis (mow-des-tah-eye-tis). I suffered from Modestaitis for many years. It was so debilitating that I was prevented from doing so many things I wish I could have done.
Modestaitis is my new word for a deficiency of self confidence. It can absolutely ruin a person. It's linked to self esteem issues and can stop people from reaching their full potential.
But I have a cure! Here it is: Go to a friend and tell them about something you're good at. Then tell them why you're so darn good at it. This will boost your confidence. Confidence will assist you in getting better at stuff, giving you more to tell people. If you keep repeating this cycle you should become so confident you could build your own space ship, fly to another planet and start society over again with you as their monarch.
As with all medication there are obvious downsides to this cure. If you talk too much about yourself you are likely to lose your friends. You are also likely to hit your peak and not be able to improve at stuff, potentially bringing on another bout of Modestaitis. So talk yourself up in moderation.
Men and women were created to be like God. God is great. Even a lesser copy of that will still be amazing. That's you and me. Amazing.
Educate. Entertain. Inspire.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Are you looking inside my brain or something? This is something I frequently think about. As someone who has been burnt a couple of times by the concept of "Pride goeth before a fall", it just seemed so much easier to not draw the attention of the universe by not talking myself up as if I was all that. And, consequently, I became rather less than all that, as my confidence took a severe nose dive. (It's a slow recovery process btw, and I still do it in baby steps.)
ReplyDeleteI'm also intruiged by the differences between males and females when it comes to this. Society seems to be much more accepting of guys expressing that they're good at something. In the business world, it's expected even. But women, who are taught that they need to be modest, tend to "Pshaw!" and "Yeah, right..." all over a legitimate compliment and when they talk about themselves, they seem to focus on the negatives only. And society expects it, smiles upon it, and perpetuates it. Or maybe that's just the circles I move in.
Oh and you had no need to be modest. I always thought you were pretty amazing, but I could never have told you. Propriety dictates and all that.
Girls can talk themselves up too. It's not a bad thing to say "I look great today!" or "Gee, I play harpsichord like a machine!" I think it's bad when you compare yourself to others. That has the potential to hurt yourself or others.
ReplyDeleteWho are you Anonymous?
I'm someone who knew you a while back. We were friends, after a fashion, and you adored my daughter. I'm not going to put my name on here though. But if I say "Where's My Cow?", does that help?
ReplyDelete